Sharing Knowledge

The Philosopher as Advisor

Philosophy is a discipline that can be deployed in a broad range of areas. The philosophers at Utrecht University can therefore be deployed on numerous issues and projects in order to clarify their structure and highlight assumptions. Philosophers regularly participate in advisory committees, consultative groups and think tanks because they often raise questions that others may miss. We also regularly give lectures about our research and often cooperate with empirical researchers. Researchers in philosophy publish in newspapers, give public lectures, engage with secondary education and also provide refresher courses for teachers.

Utrecht Philosophical Café

Every month in Utrecht, Café Hofman hosts the Philosophical Café. The speakers reflect on current affairs and debate them with the audience, there is a thought-provoking spoken column and music is provided by students from the Philosophy programme. The evenings start at 20.00 and are open to all. The Philosophical Café is organised by lecturers and students of Utrecht University’s Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies in alliance with study society FUF, Studium Generale and Café Hofman.

The importance of human rights in moral issues

Utrecht-based philosophers Marjan Slob and Esmée Schilte have collaborated with lawyers and anthropologists in compiling a public book outlining the relevance of human rights in considerations of privacy, climate change and the international rule of law. The book Mensenrechten in beweging ('Human Rights on the Move', Nieuw Amsterdam publishers) was published in June 2014.

Bij Nader Inzien ('On Closer Inspection')

In September 2014, a group of Utrecht-based philosophers instigated the academic philosophy blog Bij Nader Inzien. Philosophers from various Dutch and foreign universities provide a philosophical interpretation of current issues.

Philosophy lectures for a wider audience

At the request of Home Academy Publishers, Herman Philipse has compiled a series of philosophical lectures on a wide range of subjects, including climate change, free will and religious philosophy.